Franklin,
P-J Proudhon's understanding of democracy is a classic example of the
concerns about the representative democratic process. The following was
written a few weeks after the February (1848) Revolution
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revolutions_of_1848_in_France> in
Paris had replaced the constitutional monarchy of King Louise-Phillipe
with that of a nominally democratic republic.
"The illusion of democracy springs from that of constitutional
Monarchy's example--claiming to organize Government by
representative means. Neither the Revolution of July (1830)
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_Revolution>, nor that of February
(1848) has sufficed to illuminate this. What they always want is
inequality of fortunes, delegation of sovereignty, and government by
influential people. Instead of saying, as did M. Thiers, the King
reigns and does not govern, democracy says, the People reigns and
does not govern, which is to deny the Revolution..."
"Since, according to the ideology of the democrats, the People
cannot govern itself and is forced to give itself to representatives
who govern by delegation, while it retains the right of review, it
is supposed that the People is quite capable of at least having
itself represented, that it can be represented faithfully...This
hypothesis is utterly false; there is not and never can be
legitimate representation of the People. All electoral systems are
mechanisms for deceit: to know one is sufficient to pronounce the
condemnation of all."
"In order that the deputy represent his constituents, it is
necessary that he represent all the ideas which have united to elect
him...But, with the electoral system. the deputy, the would-be
legislator sent by the citizens to reconcile all ideas and all
interests in the name of the People, always represents just one
idea, one interest. The rest is excluded without pity. For who makes
law in the elections? Who decides the choice of deputies? The
majority, half plus one of the votes. From this it follows that half
less one of the electors is not represented or is so in spite of
itself, that of all the opinions that divide the citizens, one only,
insofar as the deputy has an opinion, arrives at the legislature,
and finally that the law, which should be the expression of the will
of the People, is only the expression of half of the People."
"The result is that in the theory of the democrats the problem
consists of eliminating, by the mechanism of sham universal
suffrage, all ideas save one which stir opinion, and to declare
sovereign that which has the majority."
"...In every kind of government the deputy belongs to the powerful,
not to the country...[It is required] that he be master of his vote,
that is, to traffic in its sale, that the mandate have a specified
term, of at least a year, during which the Government, in agreement
with the deputies, does what it pleases and gives strength to the
law through action by its own arbitrary will..."
"If monarchy is the hammer which crushes the People, democracy is
the axe which divides it; the one and the other equally conclude in
the death of liberty..."
"By virtue of democratic principle, all citizens must participate in
the formation of the law...[and] all must pay their debt to their
native land, as taxpayers, jurors, judges and soldiers."
"If things could happen in this way, the ideal of democracy would be
attained. It would have a normal existence, developing directly in
the sense of its principle, as do all things which have life and grow."
"It is completely otherwise in democracy, which according to the
authors exists fully only at the moment of elections and for the
formation of legislative power. This moment once past, democracy
retreats; it withdraws into itself again, and begins its
anti-democratic work."
"In fact it is not true, in any democracy, that all citizens
participate in the formation of the law; that prerogative is
reserved to the representatives."
"It is not true that they deliberate on all public affairs, domestic
and foreign; this is the perquisite, not even of the
representatives, but of the ministers. Citizens discuss affairs,
ministers alone deliberate them."
"It is not true that citizens participate in the nomination of
officials. It is power which names its subordinates, sometimes
according to its own arbitrary will, sometimes according to certain
conditions for appointment or promotion, the order and discipline of
officials and centralization requiring that it be thus..."
"...According to democratic theory, the 'People' is incapable of
governing itself; democracy, like monarchy, after having posed as
its principle the sovereignty of the People, ends with a declaration
of the incapacity of the People!"
"This is what is meant by the democrats, who once in the government,
dream only of consolidating and strengthening the authority in their
hands."
From *Anarchism* (New York: Atherton Press, 1970. pp. 40-69) edited by
Robert Hoffman.
Just a thought.
Just Ken <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
CLASSical Liberalism <http://classicalliberalism.blogspot.com/>
Franklin Perez wrote:
> Dear Latino Leadership:
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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